Rwanda-backed rebels claimed they captured eastern Congo’s largest city, Goma, early Monday, as the United Nations described a mass panic among its 2 million people and Congo’s government said the rebel advance was a “declaration of war.

A conflict that has raged for decades reached a flashpoint this week when rebels backed by Rwanda marched on a key Congolese city in a bid to occupy territory and exploit minerals.

The M23 militia, funded and directed by Rwanda, said it had seized the city of Goma, terrifying its people, many of whom sought shelter there after fleeing the rebel advance.

President Paul Kagame has debunked claims made by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and clarified points discussed during conversations between them over the situation in eastern DR Congo.

Rwanda-backed rebels say they captured eastern Congo’s strategic city of Goma, the hub of a region containing trillions of dollars in mineral wealth that remains largely untapped.

Goma, Congo — Residents in eastern Congo’s largest city, Goma, were fleeing on Monday after Rwanda-backed rebels claimed to have captured the regional hub from Congolese forces as fighting escalated despite calls from the U.N. Security Council for the insurgents to withdraw.

Majalisar Dinkin Duniya da Burtaniya da Faransa duk sun yi kira ga Rwanda ta daina taimaka wa mayakan 'yan tawayen M23 da ke kara matsa kaimi a gabashin Kwango.

Rwanda is once again gearing up to host several regional and international basketball events this year, giving fans the chance to enjoy great basketball at the BK Arena. Notable events this year include the Basketball Africa League (BAL) season five,

The leaders of DR Congo and Rwanda are meeting at an emergency East African summit in Kenya on Wednesday as M23 rebels, backed by Rwandan troops, tighten their grip on the strategic eastern city of Goma.

A rebel alliance spearheaded by the ethnic Tutsi-led M23 militia said it had seized the lakeside city of more than 2 million people.

“The situation is confusing, complex and horrific,” said Greg Ramm, Congo’s country director for Save The Children, an aid group. “There is no safe place to go from Goma. Every time a family flees the guns and bombs to a supposed safe place, they are forced to move again.”

Rwanda has denied such support ... Associated Press journalists Monika Pronczuk and Wilson McMakin in Dakar, Senegal; Edith M. Lederer in New York contributed. Asadu reported from Abuja, Nigeria ...